Glossary
Local kings or princes who collectively choose the imperial ruler, making the empire an elected alliance rather than a hereditary monarchy.
Topic brief
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prince-electors
Local kings or princes who collectively choose the imperial ruler, making the empire an elected alliance rather than a hereditary monarchy.
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Key Notes
definition
The Holy Roman Empire should be understood as an elected confederation or alliance, not a hereditary empire with durable centralized control.
definition
The Holy Roman Empire was not truly an empire because its emperor lacked absolute will, depended on allies, and faced rebellious prince-electors protecting local autonomy.
model
Prince-electors benefit from the Holy Roman Empire because imperial and Catholic legitimacy helps them secure their own local thrones and unite their own people.
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Timestamped Evidence
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"So he's a bishop. Okay? We call him pope because historically, Rome was the most powerful of all the churches. Okay? So I'll explain..."
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"They're called princelectors. And they pick the, the king. And this is also true for the Catholic Church where different bishops would get together..."
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"Okay? But now they're brought into the orbit of this new Frankish Empire. Okay? But again, and this is the Frankish Empire at the..."
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"Okay? But they keep up the pretense of having an empire because again, in Egypt, what matters is not territory or military or power..."
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"...Emperor tried to enforce his will on the Prince and the Prince's electors of Germany and so they rebelled against him because they need..."
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"So the Holy Roman Empire was a useful fiction for its time in order to present the idea of legitimacy and unity across a..."
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"...That's a really good question. Okay. What's the relationship of the prince -electors to the emperor? Okay. Um so this is a really interesting..."
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"...the bishops of Western Europe. The emperor is elected by the prince electors. And these people are also extremely ambitious. Okay? So with the..."
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Relevant Lectures And Readings
Reading
The Holy Roman Empire was not holy, not Roman, and not much of an empire.
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